SHOHREH AGHDASHLOO (Nadi) has been a major stage and screen star for more than 25 years, beginning in her native Iran where she started acting at the age of 20. Following numerous starring roles on the stage, she was offered her first film role in "The Report," for renowned director Abbass Kiarostami, which won the Critics Award at the Moscow Film Festival. Her next film was "Shatranje Bad" (loosely translated "Chess With the Wind"), directed by Mohammad Reza Aslani, which screened at several film festivals. Unfortunately, both of those films were banned in her home country, but in 1978, Aghdashloo won acclaim for her performance in "Sooteh-Delan" ("Broken Hearts"), directed by the late Iranian filmmaker Ali Hatami, which established her as one of Irans leading actresses.

During the 1978 Islamic Revolution, Aghdashloo left Iran for England, where she achieved her longtime ambition to complete her education. Her interest in politics and her concern for social injustice in the world led her to earn a B.A. degree in International Relations.

She continued to pursue her acting career, however, which eventually brought her to Los Angeles. In 1987, Aghdashloo married the actor/playwright Houshang Touzie. She has since performed in a number of his plays, successfully taking them to national and international stages, primarily in the Iranian community.

In addition, she has also had starring roles in such films as "Guests of Hotel Astoria," "Twenty Bucks," "Surviving Paradise" and the critically acclaimed "Maryam." Aghdashloo also starred in two of a trilogy of short films, "Possessed" and "Pulse," for eclectic filmmaker Shirin Neshat.